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FAVE FIVE: What area football stadiums are tops in their classifications?

Crowell coaches Anthony Barrera and Scott Bearden talk in the huddle in the game against Bryson Friday, Oct. 5, 2019, in Crowell.The Cowboys defeated the Wildcats 54-48. Lauren Roberts/Times Record News

With no live sporting events on the television, sports fans on Twitter have taken to sharing their favorite players and the stories behind their fandoms. My feed has been full of those questions this week. If you follow me, you know I have responded to a few.

One question caught my eye the other day. It called for users to share the best stadium that they have been to. It got me thinking: what would a list of the best area stadiums look like?

I haven’t seen all the stadiums in the area, so I talked to some people who have. They took time out of their busy schedules to help me compile a list.

THE LIST

Six-man: Dick Todd Field, Crowell

Dick Todd is a former 11-man stadium, adapted for six-man use. It’s bigger than most, but often fills up when the Wildcats are playing.

Nestled in the prairie, south of Vernon, it’s tucked between two groves of trees. On Friday nights, cars park alongside the gates and people watch from their tailgates, honking their horns with every big play.

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Bryson's Landon Stevens runs for a first down against Crowell Friday, Oct. 5, 2019, in Crowell. The Cowboys defeated the Wildcats 54-48.(Photo: Lauren Roberts/Times Record News)

The stadium is older, and it has plenty of character. The stands are wooden wooden and feature bleachers painted yellow, one of Crowell’s colors. In a world dominated by modern stadiums, Dick Todd Field is a throwback, and that’s why it takes the title of best six-man stadium.

2A: Trojan Field, Windthorst

Before I went to the Windthorst-Holliday game early last football season, my editor, Deanna Watson, told me she thought I’d really like Trojan Field. She was right.

The 1,200-seat stadium sits on a hill. From the east side, I watched the sun set over the windmills and ranchlands below. The stadium is pretty compact and there isn’t much room on the home grandstands, so folks will line the sidelines to watch their Trojans. They seem perfectly happy doing so.

Probably one of the coolest views of any stadium I’ve been to so far. Here was the sunset over the fields and windmills that the stadium looks out over. pic.twitter.com/Z15KEAe9Zp

It also boasts one of the best concession stand items – the Windthorst sausage wrap. That’s a must have if you ever find yourself at a game down there.

3A: Tiger Stadium, Jacksboro

Jacksboro’s stadium, built in 2009, must be one of the best in its classification. It’s modern and boasts a spacious press box, something I enjoyed on my trip down there. But it also still has an intimate feel. Too many times, modern stadiums can be overbuilt, but Jacksboro has managed to get the big-school stadium with a small-school feel.

Sure, it doesn’t feel as historic as some of the other stadiums, but that’s fine—not every stadium needs to. It fits Jacksboro’s new campus well, and it’s hard not to notice it when you’re driving south on 281.

I look forward to making it out there again this season.

4A: Hawk Stadium, Iowa Park

Iowa Park’s football stadium boats a modern feel while still maintaining some of its older elements. A 2013 renovation added new bleachers and a new press box, but the sunken field remained. Though a track surrounds the stadium, fans are still pretty close to the action.

Like Jacksboro, Iowa Park has done a good job maintaining the small-town feel. It’s not a cavernous facility, but it’s big enough to seat 5,000 people every Friday night. And let me tell you, it gets loud.

The rocks that line the incline of the sunken bowl are a break from the ordinary. Most stadiums use grass to cover that up. But it gives the Hawks’ home field something to call its own.

Graham’s Newton Field is a close second. They did a good job with the recent renovation there. Still, it can’t edge out Hawk Stadium.

5A: Memorial Stadium, Wichita Falls

Congrats, Memorial Stadium--you win by default.

The stadium is older and in need of a facelift. In some ways, it hasn’t aged all too well. But when its packed, like it was for the first WFHS-Rider game in 2019, it gets really loud.

No matter its age, it’s still the biggest stadium around—the most prestigious one in the area. When 6A teams from the Panhandle and Metroplex meet, they aren’t afraid to come to Memorial to play.

While it may not seem historic like some of the other stadiums on this list, it has had its fair share of history unfold on its playing surface. That’s where J.T. Barrett made a name for himself, where Midwestern State became a Division II powerhouse. Dozens of future stars have battled it out on the stadiums turf.